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Monday, September 21, 2009

Tyler Florence's Fried Green Tomatoes-- and the cat's out of the bag...

The other day, I noticed some green tomatoes at my local farm stand. They were so pretty, that I had brainstorm that I would try to make Fried Green Tomatoes. There was only one hurdle I needed to cross-- I had never eaten fried green tomatoes, and I've never made them...

Tyler Florence to the rescue! Tyler has roots in the south, so I chose his recipe. I did see that the queen of Butter and Fried Foods, "Paula Deen" had a recipe that used a lot more oil that I'm willing to cook with. Food Networks irritating stars "The Neely's" (love their recipes, but Gina... calm down!) used panko crumbs, but I envisioned using corn meal. I love the crunch of corn meal, and I felt it would be more authentic as a Southern dish. For the record, I think Paula Deen is a lot of fun to watch-- her cackle and her recipes look scrumptious. I love Southern Food! However, I struggle to limit how much fried food I eat, so I don't make it often. I would, if I could!

The recipe looked easy enough...

Tyler says to slice them about 1/2" thick..

I set up a dish with 3 cups of flour, seasoned with garlic powder and cayene... the second shot is me realizing I forgot the cornmeal. In another dish, I poured buttermilk. Tyler recipe has a typo. It calls for 1/2 cup of oil and some butter, but there are no instructions on how to use the butter. I have a cast iron griddle, so I heated the oil and flavored it with the butter. Is this right?

I grilled these for 3-4 minutes per side and blotted them on a paper towel.

I rarely nosh on food while I'm cooking. I broke my own rule, because I could not wait to try this. Tyler says to finish these with a squeeze fresh lemon juice and hot sauce. I'm a wimp, so I don't particularly like hot sauce and I was too impatient to bother with lemon juice...

Mercy! Oh my! I love this! It's hot, and I was fanning my tongue...but the sweet and slight tanginess of the green tomato-- the crunch of the cornmeal and the cayenne paper was just right. My husband loved them, too. I know this is a Southern Dish, but it's going to be a regular dish in my repertoire. Oh, these are good. I served these with a wonderful dinner that I will share later on in the week. I just have to tell you my little secret!

Now, I've been holding on to something a little too long and I have to say it. There is going to be a very special Food & Wine Event in Carmel Valley, California this weekend. The event is called "Food & Wine Harvest to Table" at the beautiful Quail Lodge Resort. I have such a strong connection to the luxury resort, because this was my first job-- working the front desk and reservations. I also got married here (um, in a previous life...before Craig). But the most exciting thing for me...

I get to meet see the guest celebrity chef-- Tyler Florence!!!

Yes, my dear foodie friend/food writer/cookbook author and all-around Food & Wine Guru, Dorothy (who knows Tyler Florence) is involved in this event and I offered to be her personal slave volunteer to have a chance to see him up close and personal. If I'm a really good girl, I will be able to attend the evening private party. I'm already trembling with the thought of stammering asking Tyler for a photograph... though I suspect I will be one of many folks wanting to do the same thing. I'm going to hang on to Dorothy's coat tails, hoping to get one personal "Hello" from Mr. Tyler Florence, himself. I'd probably drop I.Q. points and be at a loss for words, while my finger twitches on my camera button. Yes, I am bringing my camera and 100 extra batteries. I will be blogging about this.

First of all, congratulations on the opportunity to meet Tyler. I hope he's a fabulous as he appears. He's a southern boy (from Greenville, SC) so I'm sure his mother raised him right, as they say there.

I love fried green tomatoes and I've made up my own recipe through the years. It's similar to yours but I don't use the buttermilk. I bet the buttermilk gave it a better crust. I'll have to give it a try the next time I see green tomatoes.

I love fried green tomatoes. My recipe is from Southern Living Magazine and it uses cornmeal and buttermilk also. It's easy and good, not too much oil. How fun for you to meet Tyler. I watch him all the time, one of my faves on FN.

I'm so happy for you! What a wonderful opportunity to meet Tyler! Now, the big question....what are you going to wear?? - LOL! I wonder how many hours women spend thinking about what to wear? The fried green tomatoes look delicious and cornmeal is the only way to go! They are really good on eggs benedict instead of using an english muffin.

What a wonderful way to use the green tomatoes. Here in Canada the weather turns before they all finish ripening. I will definitely give this a try. Yay for meeting Tyler! We can't wait to hear all about it.

By the way, I think Tyler Florence ( besides his good recipes) is quite dreamy :-) Oh, I have my fingers are crossed for you that you are a good girl and get a chance to meet him. Please tell me that you will do a blog post about your evening???

You are SO Lucky to get to see and hopefully meet Tyler Florence! He's our SC foodie hero and on the cover of our local magazine; the article is on how growing up here influenced his cooking (45 minutes north of our farm)...however, he lost his SC accent for sure! Tell him that if won't leave CA, that he should at least have a second home back here in SC!!!!

I just love fried green tomatoes and your helpful photos and recipe and sound wonderful! And yes, take a picture to post for all of us to see! Happy Autumn! Roz

You lucky duck! I'm so excited for you! Try memorizing a few smart things to say so that you don't become totally star-struck & say stuff you'll later kick yourself for in front of Tyler (which is what would happen to me!).

Debby how fun! I will be eagerly awaiting your post about the event. Tell Tyler about your beautiful blog, just slip him a bussiness card! Your fried green tomatoes look so good, I'll take mine with extra hotsauce please!

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Welcome to my internet kitchen. Please, sit back and relax, and watch me make delicious food and bakery recipes. Most of my recipes are simple, flavorful meals-- and a few baked treats. I focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and I try to avoid using boxed mixes and processed foods. I'm having fun learning how to cook like my grandmother once did-- from scratch! I hope that my step-by-step photos will inspire a timid cook to try them. Even if you're a seasoned cook, hopefully you'll learn a new tip or two.

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